


Winter Edition

by Kt_fairy



Series: Like real people do [10]
Category: The Hobbit RPF
Genre: All the holidays, And all that jazz, Christmas, Dorks in Love, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Gen, Halloween Costumes, M/M, Mild Smut, Seasonal, kissing under the mistletoe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-18
Updated: 2015-12-18
Packaged: 2018-05-07 07:36:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5448500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kt_fairy/pseuds/Kt_fairy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The winter edition of their lives, getting ready to snuggle up for the holiday season against the weather and the world, just being together. And dorks, massive, massive dorks. </p>
<p>Inspired by this <a><strong> seasonal AU </strong></a> post on the tumblr dot com.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Winter Edition

**Author's Note:**

> Sad stuff happened in the world while I was writing this, especially in my neighbour France, and I felt it could not be ignored. I do NOT go into detail, I do NOT mention it directly, I do NOT name it, but the emotions that came from it ARE discussed in a SMALL section of the fic. For anyone who might be triggered I will mark off that section with ******* instead of my usual ------.  
>  I hope I am not being disrespectful, it was like catharsis for me at the time, but the rest of the fic is jolly and silly and seasonal AFF.
> 
> Disclaimer : All dates below are holiday dates, guesses, or based on tweets, and the only thing I own on the page are the order I have put a load of words in.

 

**12th Oct**

 

“Oh my word...Ooooohhh...shiiittt...Oh my god stop! stop stop.”

“...Why, what's happened?”

“Try and sound concerned for...Richard!”

 With a sigh he flicked on the indicator and pulled into an empty parking space on the side of the road, just managing to not bump into the SUV in front. Lee was halfway out of the door by the time he had stopped, leaning over the gear stick to rest his head on Richard’s shoulder with his legs out the door.

“Thank’s darlin’, I'll get you a Peppermint Mocha when they come back in.”

“I wish I was surprised you made me pull over for a PSL.”

“PSL?” Lee grinned, kissing the shoulder of Richard’s jacket. “Make a basic bitch of you in no time darlin’.”

“Don’t say that, and get out my car.”

Lee clambered out with a cackle, scurrying across the road with his scarf coming unravelled to slip over his back and nearly drag in the puddles.

 Richard turned the engine off, leaving the electricity running so Lee’s iPod could continue to blast out late 80’s/ early 90’s dance music through the car speakers. That this was no longer him indulging Lee and had become faintly enjoyable background noise was something Richard was quite happy being in denial about.

 There had been a steady downpour since the night before, only lightening to a drizzle once they got half an hour out of the New York suburbs and now it was a spitting. Lee, who had gotten cooped up in New York and needed the open country like a dog needs to run, had been on the edge of obnoxiousness with his constant asking for the descriptive words of what type of rain they were in _the whole journey_.

 Lee had grown up in a desert, water falling from the sky must still be a novelty for him.

 He found himself dwelling on the particular swooshing noise of cars speeding in the rain, staring sightlessly over the top of the parked car in front to the ruddy brown tree’s already decked out in spooks and what not for Halloween before the urge came to get out of the car. It was not exactly cold outside, just a wet sharpness to the air. Richard shook his head as he caught sight of Lee through the starbucks windows, wrapped up like an overeager Michelin man in an array of warm clothing. Lee’s wardrobe was full of many questionable things (this is coming from Richard) and he did like to collect jumpers in what seemed to be a sustained panic since he first came to New York and experienced cold. Jumpers that money should never be wasted on. Like the one Richard had on now that had Father Christmas riding a Veloceraptor emblazoned on the front. Richard might have taken up wearing it to try and embarrass Lee out of his jumper problem. It was not working.

 After loitering outside the Starbucks for ages, flicking through his twitter to see what dramas were happening in the world, Lee finally emerged with a waft of coffee scented hot air, shoving a cup at Richard’s face. “What? Like I wouldn’t get you a drink.”

“Thanks.”

Bumping his shoulder against Richard to make more room, Lee leant on the wall beside him whilst taking a delicate gulp of coffee. “So…” He drawled, pushing his hair out of his eyes. “What are we leanin’ on a wall feeling disenfranchised about?”

"I'm actually feeling quite charmed by that tree over there.”

 Lee followed Richard’s vague point to the tree they were parked by and hummed. “The gradation from red at the top to green down below does look too good to be true..." Lee turned a glowing smile at Richard, "I am far more original.”

 Richard huffed a laugh, pausing in taking a sip, “Don’t worry, there’s no threat from a tree.”

 They stood in silence for a little while as Lee made a couple of attempts at adjusting his scarf so he could bury his face in it to keep his nose warm, moving his coffee between his hands. “Remind me to get some gloves.”

“You just bought a pair.”

“Well I've lost ‘em already.”

 Richard sighed, swapping his cup over so he could take Lee’s hand in his, tugging his sleeve down so it almost covered their joined hands. He glanced over at Lee who was giving him that heart eyes look of his. “It’s not even that cold, Lee.”

“I'm not acclimatised yet, conveniently.” He squeezed Richard’s hand tightly “Come on, let’s go for a stroll with our coffee’s and look in all the quaint shops and be so homely and autumnal…”

“You spend too much time on lifestyle blogs looking at dining rooms you know that?”

“...I also saw a bakery on the drive in.”

“Bakery?”

“I kneewww that your affected blasé attitude would wither before the prospect of baked goods.” Lee laughed, wiggling his coffee at Richard before pushing himself off the wall and pulling Richard to fall into step beside him.

 They had just come out of a cookware store, Lee holding a clinking bag of mason jar glasses that were just the ones he had been looking for for months when Richard noticed a particularly inviting puddle. Maybe it was the size and shallow depth, maybe it was the hours shut up in a car and revival with caffeine, maybe it was the elation that Lee had finally bought those dam mason jars that made Richard stride straight over and jump right in it.

 Lee let out an embarrassing squawk as he got splashed, trying to defend himself with the bag as Richard looked him right in the eye and jumped again, laughing. “Come on, you know you want to.”

“Richard you will get wet socks. I will get wet socks!”

“Come on, all the leaves are mush from the rain. If you can’t step on a crispy leaf the next best thing is a puddle.” Lee looked down at the puddle then back up and Richard knew he had him. “We’re wearing boots too.” He did a little mini jump. “Our socks will be fine.”

Lee let out a sigh of ‘fuck it” and jumped into the puddle, trying to splash Richard and missing wildly.

 

                                                              ----------------------

  **16th Oct  
**

 

Fingerless gloves had seemed like a good idea. Easier to use the phone, easier to handle the dog’s lead, easier to buy stuff, easier to do up buttons, easier to live really. What he had not accounted for, and he could hear Richard’s voice telling him this, was that it would not stop his fingers getting cold. Not that Richard had said anything, but he had a look on his face that had said everything that morning Lee had had to give Bella’s lead over to put his cold fingers in his armpits.

 It did make him feel kinda bad that Richard, being the long suffering gentleman he was, had taken over Lee's leaf raking duties, but that was tempered by being able to sit in the window seat, wrapped in a blanket to keep the chill from the glass away, and watch him being all rugged and out-doorsy with his beard and cable-knit jumpers. Not that Lee did not look exactly the same as him right now, but that was besides the point.

 Bella was usually let out while the yard was being raked and she would race around the browning trees yipping and finding sticks to chew or have thrown for her. Today she had taken an interest in what the human was doing. Lee had watched her investigating the growing pile of leaves, then sit and watch Richard for a little while before she began trotting around trying to pick up a few leaves in her mouth and gently laying them on the pile, looking around at Richard expectantly. Lee knew he was smiling like an idiot when Richard bent to pet her, scratching his fingers down her flanks as she wiggled happily before they both went back to piling up leaves.

It was the cutest darned thing Lee had ever seen.

 The leaf pile was about as long as Richard and at its highest point almost reached mid-thigh, the sunlight catching all the fresh orange and red leaves to light them up just as if they were still on the trees that dotted the edges of the yard. The shadows were lengthening by the time Lee ventured outside, letting Bella jump up at him as Richard sipped at the tea Lee had brought out, slipping an arm around his waist when Bella found something better to do.

“Good leaf piling there Rich.”

“Three years of drama school for this moment.” Lee turned to bury his nose in the chill of Richard’s hair, enjoying the feeling of warmth skin underneath and taking a deep breath of his clean scent. “Are you alright there?”

“Mmmm, we should light a bonfire on November fifth, get some fireworks.”

“Did my hair give you that idea or..?”

“It did actually” Richard laughed and Lee smiled as he felt him shake against him.

“So...when are we gonna jump in the leaf pile?”

“Jump in it?”

“Yeah…” Richard looked up at Lee as he let the rake drop down next to him to thud onto the thick grass. “Can’t have this pile of leaves and resist the temptation.”

“But you spent so long doing it!”

Richard shrugged a shoulder. “The memory of jumping in it will stay longer than the one of making it.”

 Lee looked at the pile and then back at Richard. Now he had the idea in his head he was not going to be able to forget about it. This was like the bloody puddle all over again. And Richard had the gall to claim Lee was a bad influence!

 He let go of Richard, rolled his shoulders, rocked back on his heels and took a few steps of a run up before launching himself into the pile of leaves, pulling his hands to his chest just as he landed in a whoomp of flying leaves.

 It hurt more than he remembered as a kid, the earth was never this hard before or maybe he was just bigger and heavier now. Bella was sniffling at him as Lee rolled over, laughing as she licked at his face. “Come on in Rich!” He called, covering his face from a new shower of leaves as Richard fell backwards into it.

 They lay in a pile of cold leaves in companionable silence, after Bella had stuck her nose in both their faces and trod on Richard’s stomach, staring up at the grey sky that was becoming streaked with pink clouds as the sun started setting. “Hey Rich?”

“Don’t you throw leaves at me or we’ll be here for ages.”

Lee shuffled over onto his side, propping his head on his closed fist. Richard glanced over at him, the tip of his nose and the line of his cheekbones turning pink as the temperature began to noticeably drop. “I won’t do that, you’d smell of musty leaves and I don’t wanna be smelling that all night.”

“So thoughtful.”

“You know me!” Richard ‘hmmmed’ “This isn’t as fun as I remember it being…” Lee mused, taking a moment to grin victoriously when Richard turned his face to look at him before he bent down to kiss his chilly lips. “Now…” Lee murmured, leaning back just enough to look in Richard’s eyes, “...it may have just improved those childhood memories.”

“You’re a sap.”

“A sap that’s gonna make out with you in a leaf pile until we get so cold I'll have to take you in and warm you up in front of the fire.”

“You’re the one in just a jumper...”

“No talking! those lips already have a job and that’s kissing me.”

 

                                                                ----------------

 

**31st Oct**

 

 The eyeball last Halloween had been pretty horrific.

 Other people had laughed at it, Lee had been proud of himself at the addition of the afro in that half smiling way of his that made Richard warm up a little on the inside. Not that Lee’s smiles took away from the fact the eyeball was still hideous, crouched in the bottom corner of the office cupboard like some malevolent creature. Richard was not the passive aggressive type, but he had been very tempted to allow Bella the opportunity to destroy it.

 He had told Lee on the way home from last years halloween party, while being a little drunk, that it was the only thing Lee had ever worn that made Richard not want to fuck him. Speaking to a full head eye helmet thing it was quite hard to judge Lee’s reaction to that, or if indeed it was Lee which was an unsettling though.

“Pleeeaaaseeeeee.”

“I can’t, you know I can’t. I have German to learn.”

“You don’t need to learn that much German.” Lee wheedled, sprawling out over the end of the bed.

“Es gibt ziemlich viel von Deutsch.”

Lee peered up at Richard before flinging an arm over his face dramatically. “Don’t try and soften the blow with exotic European platitudes, I'll just have to steel myself to go to the party. On my own. On the other side of town. Without you, and see all the other couples in matching costumes…”

“Go on, don’t you try it! It’s definitely a no if you want me to match your costume.”

Lee rolled onto his front and frowned up at Richard like the petulant child he was making a good effort at being. “The new movie is coming out, you gotta celebrate your place in history!”

“The months rent being in one shot of Star Wars paid is enough of a celebration for me.”

“Urgh…” Lee dropped his head for a moment and then commando crawled up the bed sit up against the headboard. “I will stay if you don’t wanna go. Just be us and some medium scary movies and pizza.”

“I will feel doubly bad if you stay in. Go, I don’t mind.”

“You feel bad?”

“Of course I feel bad, I know you’re disappointed I can’t go and I don’t like that.”

Lee shuffled under the duvet and pulled Richard so he was leaning against his chest, chin resting on top of his hair. "I'll get over it. Now, teach me German so I know what you’re muttering at me.”

 

 

“Yaël…”

“The complexities of the German language is not going anywhere. I, on the other hand, will be going somewhere and I do not want to be in New York without seeing you." He could tell, just by the tone of Yaël's voice over the phone, the patient amused little glint in her eyes. "Because you are my friend Richard.” 

Richard ran a hand through his messy hair, letting out a giant puff of breath as he looked down at Bella who was leaning against his legs to get her ears scratched.

“There is another problem.”

“Go on…”

“I already said to Lee I can’t go. So he’s gone out without me.”

Yaël laughed not unkindly. “I should have called earlier, I’m sorry for maybe kicking off a domestic.”

“So you still expect me to come?”

“Of course, we’ll find him and pretend it’s a last minute change of heart. That you couldn’t concentrate knowing Lee wanted you to be with him so just _had_ to go _!_ ”

“You know me well enough to know that will not sell, at all.”

“He won’t mind.”

“I don’t have a costume.”

“Just wear something with a hood, I don’t need to say dark because this is you, I’ll get us something.”

“Fiiiiine. As long as it’s not Star Wars.”

“Why on earth would I dress you up a something from Star Wars?”

“...no reason.”

 

 

“You!” They heard Lee yell from across the road, watching him spin around on the spot, face turning this way and that in jerking motions as he tried to spot them. “Yoooou! Where are you!”

“Wow Lee, do you not know what I look like by now?”

“YOOU!” Lee was starting to get attention from the group of his friends and other people out on the street as he flailed around yelling. Richard had already been smiling but he could feel it change from one of amusement to one of affection when Lee finally spotted him and shook his phone at him.

  Richard made to cross the road but Lee was already sprinting between the traffic in his usual single-minded way, skipping past a honking Taxi to bounce off the tree Yaël was leaning on laughing to bundle Richard up in his arms.

The ‘costume’ Yaël had for them was, predictably, vampire-esque and subtle enough to seem classy. She had met him at their city apartment where Richard had left Bella and they had been to a bar to catch up before they went on the hunt for Lee. Richard was just going to sneak up on him when they spotted the giant gold C3PO across the street, but Yaël being the star director went for the more dramatic option of tweeting a picture of themselves huddled together on the opposite side of the road. Being the person Lee was, it did take nearly five whole minutes for him to check the push-notification (‘the ding when I tweet’ as Richard called it) from his app and had called immediately to yell at them.

“You are drunk.” Richard laughed, staggering to support the 6”5 frame that just crashed into him.

“Drunk in _**LOO** OOOoove_!” Lee sang, rocking them sideways as he pushed his heated face into the comfortably worn fabric of Richard’s hood.

“Could have been drunk and dead you maniac! You’ll get gold paint on me, get off.”

“Nope.” Lee stood back, beaming down at Richard for a moment before turning his shiney face to Yaël. “Do I have you to thank for this, meastro?”

“Well yes. Of course...no!” Lee froze as he bent to pick her up, looking at the finger wagged in his face.

“But…”

“No. You can hug me but don’t you dare pick me up.” Lee, who had never once paid attention to either Richard’s protestations or weight, listened for once in his life and was an obedient robot as he stooped to let Yaël wrap arms around his neck.

“So, what are we doing?” Lee asked happily, slipping an arm around Richard who was still trying to not get smeared in gold body paint.

“What about your friends?”

“You’re here now!”

“You are bad, bad! and I wonder how you have any friends.” Yaël tutted. “We’ll join your group, come on.”

Richard could sense Lee’s hesitation as Yaël made a move to cross the road. He looked up at Lee as he simultaneously tried not to look at Richard and not look guilty.

“What is it?”

“Well...they’re thinking of going to the Marble Cemetary and seeing if they can chat with a ghost…” Lee glanced down at Richard and cringed.

“You weren’t going with them were you!?” At Lee’s non answer Richard smacked him in the chest with the back of his hand. “And were you going to tell me before or after you woke the dead or brought a demon home!”

“It doesn’t even exist…”

“Know that for sure do you? Always the one that doesn’t believe that _dies_ in the movies. You know, those horror movies _you_ make me watch?”

“Are you telling me not to go?”

“Never!” Richard dropped all pretence of being annoyed, putting his hand on his heart. “If you would rather scare the shit out of yourself in a graveyard rather than hang out your friend and your boyfriend, if you want to sleep on the couch when you get in tonight, knock yourself out. I'll be all comfy and alone in our lovely bed.”

Lee’s friends began yelling across the road to him and he waved that he was coming, sighing deeply as he gave a meter a defeated look before turning it into a genuine smile. “Alright, let’s go to a Tiki Bar instead and get you drunk on rum!”

They looked at one another and then to Yaël who was shaking her head. “I have never actually seen sex used to manipulate with my own eyes before.”

Richard knew exactly what was coming next, he could feel it in his very bones, hissing at Lee when he grabbed Richard’s hand trying to cover his mouth. “If you’re staying with us you might hear it too.”

 Yaël was mature enough a woman not to react to that with more than a look of unimpressed elegance. Richard was immature enough to threaten to leave the country right that instant in embarrassment.

 

                                                           

                                                                                     --------------------

**2nd Nov**

 

 It was the tremble of Richard’s thighs, the gentle tremor of their soft, strong warmth pressed against his sides that tipped Lee over the edge. He buried his face into the softness under Richard’s jaw, pressing curses and prayers into his smooth smelling skin with his lips and teeth as his whole body tensed and tingled, Richard’s blunt fingernails pressing into his back making him moan out loud.

  Still breathing heavily and still feeling like he was floating half an inch off the bed, Lee nuzzled his face down Richard’s chest to press his cheek into the skin over his heart so he could feel the wump-wump-wump of his heartbeat.

  He stayed like that, the both of them bent uncomfortably until the fingers tracing patterns over his shoulders and neck tapped the back of his head gently. Lee let out a groan as his body protested moving, kneeling up as he slipped out, pulled of the condom, and dropped it in the bin next to the bed. He remained kneeling, Richard’s legs falling open so one slipped onto the bed while the other rested on Lee’s thigh, and watched him carefully wipe cum off his abdomen. Richard knew he was being watched, the delicate spread of pink down Richard’s chest told Lee that, so he traced the blush back to it’s origin at Richard’s ears with his lips, nipping at them while keeping one hand on the muscle of the thigh slung over his leg.

 “Lee I gotta…” Richard said in a deep, scratchy, abused voice that made Lee's toes tingle, trying to reach the bin. Lee stopped that motion by kissing him with messy sated lips and lazy tongues, opened mouthed and dirty. “If you want to go again,” Richard murmured when Lee finally pulled back, “you’ll have a wait a couple hours. You fucked me too well.”

“Now isn’t that a compliment.” Lee growled, going in for another kiss but dropping Richard’s leg so he could cup his face in his hands. "I'mma have to wait too, good thing I'm younger than you or bits might start falling off me.”

“Don’t blame me for what you want to do.”

Lee lowered himself down onto the bed next to Richard, still keeping their arms and legs tangled together. “It’s all your fault. Looking like you do and being how you are, I'm not gonna waste those Yes’s you give me. You know me, I hate waste.”

“Did you just use recycling as a consent metaphor?”

“Mmmyeah.”

Richard smiled at him, his eyes so soft and bright, the laughter lines around his eyes so perfect Lee had to kiss them.

“We’re gonna be so useless tomorrow, especially after morning sex.”

“Oh really, we’re having morning sex are we?”

Lee grinned and snuggled closer. “I've already got the jaw ache so why not.” Richard at least made an effort to look mildly annoyed by that. “I can't help it...you know exactly where my mouth has been!”

 It took Richard a moment, he could not help but burst out laughing when the penny dropped but he still grabbed his pillow to whack Lee across the shoulders with. “You have work!”

“I'll live. I'll suffer through the aftermath of ravaging my exquisite boyfriend when you have left to go so far way to Berlin!” Lee protested, trying to take the pillow away from Richard who snatched it out of Lee’s reach and put it firmly under his head, turning over onto this side to put his back to Lee who saw him smiling anyway.

As soon as Richard was settled Lee plastered himself along his back. “You’ll deny it until the day you die, but I'll keep saying it until after I'm in the ground and lookin’ down from Heaven, God willin’, but you are.”

Richard turned his head to the side so he could peer at Lee. “How can I be exquisite when you exist?”

Lee would be lying if he said that did not make him grin like an idiot. “And that was the right answer!”

“Let me guess, prize is morning sex?”

“Psychic as well as handsome. I lucked out with you!”

 

                                                 

                                                         **************

**17th Nov**

 

Europe always kept going, it was one of her best features. Through invasion, war, plague, war, religious cleansing, war, famine, war, terrorism, war, politics and war, war, war, everything kept on ticking over through sheer force of will.

  Berlin felt jumpy, he did not expect it to not be, but it was noticeable under the stubborn defiance. Not that it bothered him, he used to see the wreckage of the IRA and Irish Troubles on the TV all the time from a just aware kid to a young adult so he was used to it. Richard had not really given much thought to if that was that was unusual or not until he saw Lee who had dark circles and a pinched expression that was from more than jet-lag.

  Richard had not protested his visit. Watching horrible things on the rolling news in a language you half understood doubled the distance between them. Lee had just wanted to hold his hand and Richard was not going to berate him flying halfway around the world for it.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?” Lee had asked, leaning on the door frame with his mother hen expression in full force.

“I can get to set on my own.”

“I know.”

"I'll be fine.” Richard had placed both his hands on Lee’s shoulders. “Nothing will happen.”

Lee had reached up to put a hand over Richards. “Aren’t you even a little bit frightened?”  

"I'm not not worried. I'm not an idiot, but you’ve got to keep calm and carry on. I know it’s a worn old British stereotype but it’s what we’ve all got to do.”

"You make it sound easy." Lee had murmured, finally breaking into a small smile when Richard kissed him.

“Life-time of practice I'm afraid. I come from the country of Blitz, bombs, embassy sieges and riots. Now, I'll call you when I get there and when I leave. Don’t sit on the news feeds all day, please love. For me. Or I'll worry about you.”

  He worried as much as he ever let himself be distracted during work. Worried that he might have added fuel to Lee’s anxiety while trying to comfort, but it seemed to all be in vain as he came home tired and sore from riding a bike all day to find the apartment full of Christmas lights, an empty tree sat by the balcony windows of the living room, and the smell of Lee’s (slightly burnt) trademark Lasagne in the air with and an apple strudel waiting on the side. It was not his cheat day, but being with Lee who made everywhere he went feel comfortably homely just like a childhood memory, he ate as much as he liked and even had a glass of wine with dinner then fell into bed and had passed out Lee before had turned out the lights.

 

Richard became semi-aware of something dragging over his ribs, he was still half asleep so it took him about four seconds to jerk away, heart pouding.

 "Shhh, shhh, just me being a creeper.” Lee’s deep, soft voice lulled him, the heat of his long torso pressing against Richard’s back.

 Richard flopped his head back down onto the pillow and sighed. He may have fallen asleep again for a moment as Lee’s nose was pressed into the bump at the base of his neck.

“Whyryou crepper?” Richard asked, the very effort of talking waking him up enough to realise he had just grunted unintelligibly. “Why were you being a creeper?”

“I'm always being a creeper while you sleep.”

Richard twisted so he could look up at the black shape of Lee’s face. “That’s not the most comforting thing you’ve ever said to me…” He saw the shape of Lee’s head turn away, the profile distinguishable from the less solid blackness around them, and waited for him to speak. A TV in an apartment a few floors down blared briefly in German and then died down again. Lee bowed his head.

 “I was thinking about stuff that made me sad.” Carefully, so as not to smack Lee in the face by accident, Richard traced up his chest to curl a hand around the side of Lee neck, his thumb rubbing soothingly on his cheek. “I never thought...about how I grew up not worrying about danger and you grew up not worrying about fucking terrorists that’s…”

“Well when you put it like that!”

Lee turned his face into Richard’s hand, kissing his palm. “It’s shaken me that this is normal for you…”

“It’s not. This is not normal, and will never be. The IRA were never this...none of the...this...I didn’t mean to make you upset. I didn’t mean to make you think I'm used to this, I'm not. I would never have asked you to come but I am so, so glad you are here, I needed you, and I'm only slightly more glad you’re here than you’re not away from this in the states.” Lee borrowed his face into Richard’s shoulder, curling around him.

“I wouldn’t be anywhere else in the world. I love you.”

“I love you too.” Richard pulled the duvet over them and wrapped his arms around Lee, “Still on for christmas markets tomorrow?”

“Fuck yeah I am. Overweight bag fine here I come!”

 

                                                       --------------------- 

**25th Nov**

 

Honestly, hanging mistletoe from a door that Lee had to bow his head to get through was not going to catch him out, even if he did not expect to see it as Thanksgiving was tomorrow. The lack of turkey decorations in Richard's brothers house was unsettling. He glanced down at the embarrassed boy stood in the corridor behind him and raised an eyebrow, "Did you hang this twig up here?”

“No! Mum want’s a cute thing for ‘er scrap book…”

“Is that why your girlfriend isn’t here?” Lee teased, rocking back on his heels as he laughed, knocking the leaves with his head.

“I can’t believe Rich told yer’ that.”

“Well, I was teasing you there Abe.” The boy put his hands on his hips and sighed like a man twenty years older than him. “Don’t worry, I won’t even tell Richard I know.”

Abe came up and pushed at Lee’s back to get him to move forward into the kitchen. “Mum will be so embarrassin’ about it.”

“She’s just happy for her kid.”

“Yeah I know…”

“But it’s their job to be embarrassing.”

“Who’s embarrassing?” Richard’s brother asked as he came in the back door.

“Me,” Lee lied, leaning on the work-surface, “I walked straight into that Mistletoe there.”

Christopher followed Lee’s point to the hanging plant and looked apologetic. “I'm sorry, Susan want’s this thing fer her scrapbook…”

“Richard will avoid that like some kinda ninja you know.” Christopher gave a shrug that said ‘anything for a quiet life’ as he moved on into the house.

“D’ya find it weird,” Abe asked when he handed Lee a coffee from the pod-machine that was apparently very much his gadget, “to go from country ta country all the time and have te travel te see Rich and stuff like that? Does that make your relationship weird?”

 That question came out of nowhere. Abe was not an unusually thoughtful child from what Lee could tell, he was a lot calmer than Lee’s nieces and nephews but that was more likely a cultural and familial difference than anything.

“To be perfectly honest with you, it’s all I've ever known…”

“You’ve never dated a non-actor?”

Lee put his hand over his heart, “Young man, I have never loved anyone but your Uncle!”

Abe laughed, but looked unsure. “Really?”

Lee took a deep breath, taking a moment to decide if he was really going to go this deep to a child.

“I did love other people, in different ways and intensities, some I still love in certain ways. People leave marks on your life, you will leave one on mine and vice versa, your non-girlfriend will leave a mark on you.” He explained, noting the slight Armitage© scowl on Abe’s young face when he mentioned feelings and other people. “Love is very complicated, that’s what I learnt in the thirty-two years of my life before, and I'm gonna get soppy now, I met your Uncle and it became very easy. So that’s your answer, Richard makes it not difficult.”

 They stood in silence for a moment, Lee sipping his coffee hoping that was the last question while Abe took that all in. “I asked because when I was little something ‘appened. Remembering I know that Rich was sad that Christmas Day you came, and I'm old enough te’ know it was something between you two and…”

“You wanted an explanation, to check?”

“Basically, I guess.”

“Do you mind me asking,” Lee shifted, placing his coffee down, “why you asked me and not your uncle?”

“‘Cause he’s ma uncle? I don’t wanna hear ‘im talk about that. Bad enough you talkin’ like that.”

“You asked!”

“Yeah I know…” Abe huffed as the front door opened.

“Abe! Yer’ mum want’s ya’” Richard’s voice called down the corridor from the front door, Abe giving a little nod of his head to Lee as he pushed himself off the fridge and strolled off.

Lee met a windswept Richard in the Kitchen doorway as his brother slipped outside to see what was going on, “It’s always windy ‘round here isn’t it?”

“You have that effect on the weather obviously.” He pulled off his gloves and shoved them in his pockets. “You were alright with Abe?”

“Yeah, had a dude’s morning in where he wooped my ass at FIFA. We just had a conversation about the complexities of love.” Richard looked unconvinced. “I think I may be in the process of getting a ‘talk’ from your nephew.”

“Oh dear, I'm sorry…”

“No, it’s sweet. He’s a sweet kid.” Lee looked down the hallway to the half closed front door, and then up at the mistletoe just above his head.

“You bugger!" Richard exclaimed when he noticed it, "You put that there!”

“Susan did.” Lee swept an arm around Richard’s waist and pulled him in close, the cold of his coat prickling his skin.

“If they walk in…” Lee gave his most apple cheeked, charming smile, looking straight into Richard’s eyes that were glinting in the way that made Lee’s chest flutter.

“It’s tradition.” He murmured, bending to press their lips together.

 

                                                    --------------------

**13th Dec**

 

 Living in New York for however many years it had been meant that sudden and deep snow falls were not that much of a big deal any more. Not that it was a big deal anyway, he was a Northern European after all.

 They knew from boarding the connection in Amsterdam that it had snowed but JFK was still taking flights. The last thing Richard remembered after take off was Lee, never totally comfortable with flying as it included heights, praying that there would be no freak snowstorms before they landed. He must have promptly fallen asleep for the majority of the night-time flight as the next thing he knew they had just flown over the American coastline.

  The runway was a sea of dirty grey tarmac in a world of whites and ice-greys. Even in the air-conditioned Baggage Reclaim you could feel how cold it was outside from the bursts of freezing air coming down the ramp alongside the suitcases. Experiencing it as they waited for a Taxi was another thing entirely.

“This is what central heating does to ya.” Lee observed as they huddled together under the roof of the Taxi Rank, “Got all used to the cold in Germany and after a million hours indoors we’re dying.”

 Richard subdued a shiver. It was freezing, but not freezing enough for him to break into his luggage to find something warmer to wear, especially after he had huffed at Lee for doing the exact same thing just as they left the terminal.

 “Well, I'm dying. You tough northern boys with your stoicism and warm blood.” Lee leant in a little closer, “Jack Frost might not be nipping at you now, but I'll do it later while I warm myself up.”

 Richard, having heard all this before, being too tired to react, and with already red cheeks and ears, just rolled his eyes. “This is neither the time or the place.”

Lee giggled, looking pleased with himself as he stamped his feet while shoving his hands further under his armpits as they watched Taxi's carefully make their way up to them on the sleety, sludgy road.

 

                                         

                                                                    -----------------------

**16th Dec**

The temperature had dropped so low you no longer felt really cold. The air was so crisp, the golden warmth of autumn turned silver and clear, it took Lee a little while before he realised the tip of his nose was getting very cold, having to run indoors to grab a scarf to wind around his face and a hat to pull down over his ears.

  The yard was crunchy underfoot with snow, not enough to merit clearing the drive but enough that you needed boots on or your feet would freeze. Bella had seen snow before, but she padded cautiously around before suddenly jumping into action (literally) and scampered around Lee’s feet as they strolled down the path, lined on one side by almost bare Maple Trees, that lead to where the chicken coup was sheltered from the most of the extreme weather.

  Although most things could eventually win Bella over, a box full of scampering, clucking and flapping birds was a step too far for her and she entertained herself by going between chewing on a stick and flipping it in the air while Lee checked the chickens were all still alive in their comfy heated coup and collected the eggs there for the epic, ‘we're-all-home-again-brunch-for-dinner’ he was planning.

  Bella had had enough of the outside by the time they got in, pushing through the door before Lee had it fully open, and they covered the floor of the utility room with wet footprints and globs of slush from shaken fur and stamped boots. Lee did not try and keep her in the utility room, letting her get away with most things this week out of guilt for leaving her for half of last month, and watched her patter of through the house no doubt in search of Richard to cuddle up in the dog bed beside his desk in the office.

 Lee’s coffee making was disturbed by a long look out of the windows at the snowy yard. Even though his Texan butt froze off every winter for the past sixteen years, snow had not yet lost it’s wonder. It was still something you only saw on TV or heard about in books as a kid in a desert half the world away, not something you could touch. It was a shame to let all this snow go to waste.

 A quick run to the neighbours with a few of eggs got him a couple a carrots, a quick rampage through the closet found scarves, and a look into the collection of bottle tops found him blue and green eyes.

  He considered a moment, looking at the half pile of snow he had just formed, if he should call Richard to join in or not. Lee knew he would half-heartedly protest and then agree, coming out to muck around in the snow for an hour getting rosy cheeked and so pale and cold, but he had work to do and Lee wanted that hour for less wholesome activities. Unless you counted fucking your boyfriend as wholesome, then what he had planned was as Fox News worthy as apple pie. So he got on with it himself, using the simple physical task as a kind of meditation as he made snow them's and a snow Bella.

  He was just thinking about how a snow tractor would make Richard laugh and considering if that was in fact possible with his limited snow- sculpting experience and lack of engineering degree, when the porch door rattled, “Ah crap…”

“That’s a nice thing to say about all my…” Lee turned, throwing his hands in the air when he saw Richard.

 Leaving the snowman accessories on the kitchen counter so they did not get lost had been a good idea, especially when you were as easily distracted as Lee could be, but he had left Richard out of the equation.

“I wondered why you’d gone and got carrots.”

“Oh you wondered did you?”

Richard looked down at the half eaten carrot in his hand and winced. “The other one is still intact. This can be your cute nose…”

“Don’t try and deflect this heinous act with flattery and self-deprecation.”

“It’ll make them more unique?”

“Bring out everything you haven’t destroyed, let’s try and rescue this disaster.”

“It’s not a disaster…” Richard spoke gently as he came to stand next to Lee with his hands full of stuff, looking very repentant, “...they do look picturesque. You’ve made a good job of it. And I'm sorry.”

Lee could only keep his serious expression for so long, especially when Richard looked so apologetic . “Dooon’t look so sad! It’s fine, honestly. It’ll be a story to tell…”

“How I ate a snowman’s face.”

“See, got the idea of it already.” Lee pulled him closer to kiss his warm cheeks. “Come on, let’s decorate.”

“I am sorry I ate your carrot.”

Lee kissed his lips this time, “It’s only a carrot, not like you’ve sneaked a look in my present box…” He narrowed his eyes, slowly inching his face forward until the cold tips of their noses were brushing and Richard burst out laughing.

“Okay, I'll get my creative hat on.” He dumped the pile of stuff in his arms onto the snow with a dull thump.

“Aren’t you gonna put a coat on?”

“Nah I'll be okay. S’not that cold out.” Lee tried not to be incredulous from within the furlined hood of his ski-coat as he looked at Richard in a leather jacket over his jumper, gloves and sweat pants. “It’s not even minus numbers in celsius yet…” he bent to pick up some buttons, “...you carry on doing your thing Nanook of the North.”

“Who?” Richard glanced up with the look he got when their different childhoods or age gap was made apparent. “Never mind, let’s make our snow family so we can get in and warm up.”

 Their snowmen ended up a little lop sided, a little caricatureish, and they made Lee feel so content and warm to look at, that this was his little life, that it was all he ever wanted, and he was whole. Well, felt warm until his ass of a boyfriend somehow managed to shove a handful of snow down the back of his shirt and ran off laughing to leave Lee flailing on the porch.

 

                                          ---------------------

 

**18th Dec**

Any time, anywhere Dwarf power-naps, while being useful on certain occasions, did leave you with the slight disadvantage of falling asleep standing up. Now, Richard had never done it in charge of, for example, a lit stove, but have him tired and standing still and he would doze off for a moment. The beep of the timer jolted him awake to the wonderful smell of fresh cookies and the warmth radiating through the oven doors and into his shoulder where he had propped himself up on it.

  They had gone out into the city to see the Christmas lights at the Rockefeller Centre, ended up ice skating and then wandering around looking at all lights the city had to offer. The soft glow of strings of coloured lights twinkling in the darkness must awake something in the depth of the human mind as the cold had little effect while Richard looked at them, feeling both young and connected to something timeless at the same moment. And it was cold, scarves were wrapped over noses and running leggings were worn under trousers but the wind bringing frozen air off the rivers into the city still nipped at them.

  Upon getting into the apartment Bella had immediately huddled under her blanket and fell asleep in protest at the weather, Lee had taken charge of making hot chocolate while Richard had pressed cinnamon and hazelnuts into the stick of chic-chip cookie dough in the fridge and made a batch.

  Lee was humming the most recognisable part of a Christmas song while he pottered about on the other side of the kitchen, sliding over the tiles on his socks to come and help Richard move the cookies onto a cooling rack that was a re-purposed wire rack from a grill tray.

“Go sit down.” Lee murmured as he pressed his lips into Richard’s hair,"I'll bring it all through.”

“I can carry a mug and a plate. You’re the one that suffers in the cold!”

“I never said anything about that.” Lee protested, turning to put himself between Richard and the Coco he was reaching for. “I said I'll bring it in.”

“I can do it.”

“So can I.” Lee grabbed Richard by the shoulders and held him at arm's length. “Let me dote for once in your life.”

“Once in my life! Cheek of it, I'm always giving in to your indulgences.”

“So a plate won’t be much of a concession will it.”

“Fine, fine...” Richard held his hands up in defeat. “I'll go and steal all of the blankets on the couch.”

Lee was smiling warmly as Richard left the kitchen, making a detour to the bedroom to grab the extra throws out from under the bed before wrapping himself up like an aged king and let himself drop down onto the couch cushions. He did not bother getting comfortable, would have to move for Lee anyway, so lay looking at the Christmas tree lights reflect in the TV screen and let his mind wander back to the carolers outside Central Park as he listened to Lee still humming away in the Kitchen.

  The humming drew nearer along with Lee who had everything stacked on the shoe-box lid tray (because there are many things you never think to buy for a second home okay) that he carefully placed on the lamp stand at the end of the sofa before shuffling the whole thing nearer.

“Happy now?” Richard asked once Lee had finished arranging everything.

 He knew the tone Lee’s answer would have as soon as he looked down at him with a warm smile on his goofy face. “Been as happy as a Bee in a Greenhouse since the day I met you.”

“Come down here you aged southern dame.”

“Well I do declare!” Lee shrilled, helping to tug some of the blanket out from under Richard so he could come and lay against his side, wrapping his arm and the blanket around Lee.

“Get your elbow out of my hip!”

“I've gotta put it somewhere.”

“My joints are not elbow rests.” Richard hit him with a cushion before shoving it under Lee’s bony appendages. They had almost got this whole snuggling while being huge thing down but it was an accepted fact that oversized limbs would always get in the way. Eventually they found a way to lay and a tangle of limbs that was warm and comfy, the both of them sighing like old men before laughing at one another. They then had to move again for Richard to grab the biscuits and coco to hand them out, Lee kissing his wrist as he took two cookies. That little action made Richard feel giddy in a way he had not really felt since The Girl held his hand in Year Nine.

 “Look at you, cute as hell.” Lee cooed before shoving half a cookie in his mouth.

Despite the image being English and (sometimes) smartly dressed gave, Richard did not have that expensive and refined a taste in things. That did not mean he was not going to call out lazily made hot chocolate when he saw it, especially when Lee had been talking about how he was going to make it in a pan with cream on the walk back to the apartment.

“What happened to making the Coco properly?” He asked as took a sip.

“You were asleep, you don’t know what I did...without checking the dishwasher.”

Richard laughed as he took the candy cane out of his and stuck it in his mouth. “At least you made it peppermint-y.”

“Even when I'm being a bum I'm always thinking of you, see.”

“I know, thank you darling. And the hot chocolate is lovely.”

 Lee grinned up at him, somewhere between smug and loving, as he nestled closer to rest his head on Richard’s shoulder and closed his eyes to the Christmas trash he had put on the TV and Richard was not stuck with.

 

                                              -----------------------

 

**23ed Dec**

 

The day had started with his mom gently shaking him awake disgustingly early to go and pick up the Turkey from her friend’s farm. Which was unbelievably embarrassing as he had snuck into Richard’s room in the night and was drooling happily into his shoulder. He had to shoo her out before he left the bed so Richard did not wake and see her there as he had only been allowed to stay on the understanding that they were not going to get caught breaking Lee’s parents rules. Honestly, Lee was in his thirties and sneaking into boyfriend's rooms, it was like a teenage flashback!

 Richard, the bugger, barely stirred when Lee got up, just burrowed further into his pillow and was fast asleep again by the time he was dressed. Lee kissed the back of his neck before he left which made Richard smile, so he did not mind the early morning.

His mom had one of her non-looks, the worst kind where you did not know if or how much apologizing to do, when he joined her in the car. “Will should be glad to get a room to himself again.”

“I'm sorry mom...”

“All the kids are getting too old to share now, anyways.” She raised an eyebrow at him as she started the car. “Apart from the over thirties it seems.”

“Ma, it’s Christmas and I wanted a cuddle. It won’t happen again.”

“No I'm serious Lee, it’s silly that you should be kept apart like you’re kids. I just didn’t think it’d take all this long for you to marry him.”

“Don’t YOU start, ma.”

“It’s the truth, especially after the High Court ruling. But that’s your business…”

“Richard’s mom doesn’t nag him.” Lee pointed out, knowing he sounded like a kid in a sulk.

“Don’t bring Margaret into this! And I'm not nagging, I'm just saying is all.”

Lee looked out of the window at the pinky morning sky over the treetops. “It doesn’t feel like the right time right now, he knows I'll ask as soon as it does. If he says yes is the great unknown I'll be tumbling into head first.”

His mom reached over and squeezed his arm, “You be together in the best way you can be, kay hun? You are so happy with him, and he's so lovely, and that’s all we care about. So you go on and move into his room for the rest of your stay.”

“Sally and Will won’t like it.” His mom gave him an arch smile as they turned right at an intersection and Lee groaned, letting his head drop back onto the headrest. “Thanks.”

“Well I can’t threaten to take your presents away any more for being bad, and rule breakin’ gets punished.” Lee sighed and she patted his arm. “Not that you care now you’re bunking with your beau.” She said conspiratorially.

He smiled to himself as he glanced out the window. “Not one bit.”

 

Richard looked puzzled when Lee dumped his suitcase on the bed next to him, peering from his phone to the case and then up at Lee. “Mom came to wake me up this morning.”

Richard sighed, letting his phone drop as he scowled at Lee. “What happened to your alarm?!”

“She came before it! She wasn’t mad I _told_ you she wouldn’t be.” It came out more defensive than Lee meant and he felt bad about it until he realised it had made Richard kneel up and shuffle over to him across the sheets.

“It’s just it’s your parents house rules and I don’t want to break them, no matter what I think of them. The rules that is. Especially as I'm their son’s older boyfriend…”

“Hot older boyfriend who they adore.” Lee corrected, draping his arms around Richard.

“...you know I like things to run smoothly, especially when it comes to our families.” Richard’s large warm hands ran up Lee’s side’s from his hips to rest on his ribs.

“It’s fine, mom embarrassed me with a talk in the car and now I gotta face Will and Sal for being allowed to break the rules.”

“Do I wanna know about this embarrassing talk?” In his less reserved, affectionate moments Richard would sometimes talk about the cute faces Lee made with his eyebrows and his cheeks, not realising that he could also pull the sweetest expressions without really meaning to.

  Lee moved his arm to cross Richard’s shoulders and used his standing leverage to tip them both down onto the bed, hoisting himself up on his elbows so he could stare down at Richard looking so lovely. “Just how much Mom want’s me to marry you so you can be a Pace and she can make you help out in the kitchen instead of you showing us all up by insisting…”

“Yeaaaah whatever!”

Lee kissed him almost chastely, pressing his lips onto Richard’s bottom one and sucking oh so slightly. “Half of that was true,” He admitted, “She knew it was silly us staying apart but apparently my family thought we’d be married by now so…”

“...well this is awkward.”

“I know how to make it a lot less awkward” Lee hummed, nuzzling his nose into the dip between Richard’s ear and his neck.

“As long as you locked the door.” Lee did not really want to move, this was his favourite place to be, but what was coming was better so he jumped up to grab for the lock just as the door opened and nephews and nieces were suddenly bouncing around the room asking if they could go exploring on the ranch in the golf-karts again.

 In that moment Lee's whole soul was on it's knee's shaking it's fists at the heavens.

 

Texas at night boasted stunning lows of 59 degrees (or 15 if you were from the rest of the world) which was actually really warm. He had lived through enough snowstorms in his time to be able to say that with confidence. So while the rest of his family were inside with the TV complaining of the cold Lee and Richard were out the back, just far enough from the house to get a little of its light as they sat on a fallen tree that had been carved by Lee into a bench years ago, Bella curled up with her warm head nuzzled into his ankle.

 The stars were bright outside the city, different from their farm on the other side of the country, certainly less bright than the one’s in the wilds of New Zealand, but they still twinkled down from the inky velvet sky onto quiet of their little bubble. Stars were always beautiful when you had time to look at them, never not magical. Even though Lee knew they were just burning balls of gas billions of miles away stars would always be angels sleeping in heaven like he believed as a kid.

Lee turned to Richard to tell about him that, sure it had never come up before, but ended up not saying anything. Richard was a dork, could be self-contained to the point of repressed, could out awkward anyone Lee had ever met and took things far too seriously. But he was also clever and generous and caring and funny and moral and brave in his own way and right now, sitting still looking up at the night's sky with his skin so pale and eyes shadows in the dark, features thrown into relief, he was like a work of art. Lee's very own work of art.

 “Oh stop gazing at me, nothing makes me more self-conscious than being gazed at. Just look at me, if you can even see me in the dark.”

“What’s the difference?” Lee murmured

“Intent.”

Even though it was warm they were still wrapped up in one of Lee’s scarves just to keep the night out and Lee tugged at it to draw Richard’s gaze down from the stars to him.

"I'm full of intentions towards you. Good intentions and, depending on your outlook, a few bad ones too.”

Richard smiled warmly, expression open, “If anyone should be doing the gazing it’s me.” He said, voice low and intimate which had Lee blushing and he wished it was not dark so that Richard could see it.

“We’re gross.”

“I know, how disgusting.”

They smiled at one another before looking up again just as three streaks of light went flying across the depth of the sky, coming out from behind the tree’s and disappearing over the black shapes of ridges in the distance.

“Wow.” Richard breathed as Lee gasped out "Holy shit”. After a long moment of silence between them they looked at one another in amazement.

“What did you wish for?” Lee asked.

“If I tell you it won’t come true.”

Lee leant his head on Richard’s broad shoulder and peered up at him. “Did you not wish for anything ‘cause you have everything you wanted already?” He teased, batting his eyelashes when Richard glanced down at him.

“Is that what you did?”

“Maybe…”

“Did we do the same slushy, sickly sweet thing?” They looked at one another before bursting out laughing, Bella sitting up to see what the commotion was while Lee pressed his face into Richard’s arm to try and stifle his laugh as Richard shook with his.

“It’s true though.” Lee sighed when the giggles had subsided, “This winter’s been pretty darn perfect ya know.”

Richard put an arm around him. “Yeah, we did good these past few months.”

“Great relationshipping Rich.”

“Thanks sweetheart.”

Lee slipped his arms around Richard’s middle and linked his fingers over the warmth of his stomach. Yeah, they were doing good.

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
